Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part One (#1-5)
by: Jonathan Givony - President, Kyle Nelson, Joseph Treutlein - Assistant Director of Scouting
August 28, 2009
In advance of the rapidly approaching NCAA season, we'll once again be breaking down the top individual NBA prospects in college basketball, going conference by conference. Freshman have been excluded from these previews, as we'd like to wait and see what they have to offer on the NCAA circuit before we come to any long-term conclusions. First we start with Big Ten, where potential lottery pick Evan Turner is holding down the fort for Ohio State, followed by his teammate William Buford. Purdue?s JaJuan Johnson, Michigan Stae?s Kalin Lucas and Michigan?s Manny Harris round out the top five.
#1 Evan Turner, 6-7, Junior, SG/SF, Ohio State
Having profiled Turner at the conclusion of his NCAA Tournament campaign, as well as this summer at the USA Basketball tryouts, we will wait until the season kicks off to revisit his scouting report.
#2William Buford, 6-5, Sophomore, Shooting Guard, Ohio State
11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 turnovers, 45% FG, 36% 3P, 85% FT, 29 minutes
Jonathan Givony
Former McDonald?s All-American William Buford took a little bit of time to hit his stride in his freshman season at Ohio State, but once he did, he displayed some intriguing flashes of potential that hint at some big things that could be in store for Buckeye fans.
Buford?s physical attributes are average for an NBA shooting guard, as he has just adequate size at around 6-5, to go along with a narrow frame, and solid, although not exceptional athleticism. The biggest virtue he brings to the table is his excellent scoring instincts, which currently manifest themselves primarily in the form of his perimeter shooting ability.
38% of Buford?s field goal attempts came from beyond the arc last season, of which he knocked down a very solid 36%. Buford has a beautiful shooting stroke, complete with a pretty follow through and excellent touch. He?s extremely advanced for his age at coming off screens?something Thad Matta liked to take advantage of?and is pretty deadly if he has a moment to set his feet.
Buford is also very capable of knocking down shots off the dribble, even if he could clearly stand to improve on his ability to create separation from his defender with his pull-up jumper, as his release is a bit on the slow side. His shot-selection at times leaves a bit to be desired as well. Watching some of the extremely difficult shots Buford made last season, though, there is no mistaking how talented a scorer he is.
As a slasher, Buford is not all that effective, as he possesses poor ball-handling skills and just an average first step. He rarely gets all the way to the basket (he shot just 53 free throws in 33 games last season, playing heavy minutes), and when he does, he seems to avoid contact, leaving you to wonder whether he may lack a bit of toughness. When he puts the ball on the floor, Buford will either pull-up off the dribble from 17-feet, or shoot a very pretty floater (a very nice weapon) in the lane. In the rare instance that Buford does get to the free throw line, he knocks his shots down at an extremely impressive rate?85%--good for second best amongst all freshman draft prospects last season.
Defensively, Buford puts a decent effort in, but doesn?t appear to have the best natural tools or fundamentals to get the job done. He does a decent job using his length to contest shots, but will get taken off the dribble a fair amount. Although Ohio State?s propensity to play zone almost exclusively makes it difficult to get a great read on Buford?s potential on this end of the floor, it seems safe to say that he has plenty of room to improve here.
At this juncture, Buford is a fairly one-dimensional shooter/scorer, which isn?t a huge shock considering the stage of development he?s currently at. He would be well served to continue to work on his all-around game, be it his ability to create shots for himself and others, his pick and roll game, his passing, and his defense. Although he came into Ohio State with a big-time pedigree, Buford is the type of player who could really benefit from sticking around college for a few seasons to become a more complete player. Right now he projects mostly as a backup, but he?s so young that it?s not out of the question at all to see him improve dramatically over the next few years.
